Wire-cutting tool



lNVENTOR TH sonoma sUMAN FIG.4.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T. SU MAN WIRE-CUTTING TOOL May 9, 1950 Filed March 15, 1947 BY 'jou/mn Uumfun ATTORNEYS May 9, 1950 T..suMAN WIRE-CUTTING TooL Filed March l5, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvx-:NToR THEODQQE SUMAN ATTORNEYS Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED sTATas cargar orifice Winn-CUTTING Toor.

Theodore Surnan, Dayton, Ohio, assigner of cnehalt1 to Norman W. Schmidt, Dayton, VOhio Application March 1-5, 1947, Serial No. 734;992

(C1. Mtl-143) 13 Claims. l

The present invention,relates to wire working tools and, moreparticularly, to tools for bending and` cutting Iwires.

Numerous tools of this type have been made and marketed heretofore. .,Hervever, practically allof these known tools have the drawback that their usefulness is restricted toplaces which are easily accessible, while they cannot be used at places which, in view of a close` assembly of parts, do,not allowthe introduction of insertion oi the heretofore known and relatively bulky ,cutting tools.

Thereforait isan objectof .this invention to provide a cuttingtoolwhich willv allow the cutting of rwires at'places which are not accessible to pliersand similar cutting tools heretofore used.

fIt is anotherfobject of the-invention to )provide acutting tool-in which-the cutting elements are of tubular yshape and. can `be L actuated wherever itis possible'to insert a tube of a diameter corresponding-to the diameter of said tubular cutting elements.

Still another object is to provide a cutting tool in lwhich the length of rthe tool willfnot affect the size ofthe handle nor-the size of the cutting elements of saidV tool.

Afstill further object of itheinvention consists inthe provision of a cutting tool of the above mentioned type which may also be used for A bendingV the wire without cutting the same.

These l*and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a tool according to the invention shown in a-position to cut a wire;

Figure2 is a longitudinal section through the cutting tool of Figure l, but on a slightly larger scale Vthan the latter;

Figure 3is a section -along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure4 representsaview of the cutting head of the tool;

jFigure is an enlargedfront View of the cutting elements shown in Figures f1 and2;

-"Figure 6 is-a view similar-to-thatofFigure 5 showing awire as itis gripped bythe cutting elements of the cutting head;

"Figure 7 illustrates the bending of awire with the tool head;

Figure Iillustrates the cutting and bending end of amodited Vform of the invention;

Figure f 91's --an enlarged section online 9 9 of 2 Figure-8` and illustrates-the first step in cutting and-bending the wire.

Figure 10 is a section similar to Figure 'Q'and illustrates a further-ster,` in cutting and bending the wire; Y

Figure 11 is a section similar to `Figure 9 and illustrates the nal step in cutting and bending the wire.

Figure 12 is a section through another modied form of the invention.

Figure 13 is a section on lineflS-lof Figure 12.

Figure 14 is an enlarged section-of the cutting end gf the tool of Figure l2 and illustrates Athe rstrstep of cutting and bending.

Figure 15 is a view similar to Figure =14fand illustrates the nal step in cutting andbending the wire.

General outline The `cutting tool according vto the invention consists primarily of a tube having one enjd mounted in a handle while the other endofthe tube-is provided with a tongue-.like cuttngrblde. Arranged in said tube is arod or tubularmember likewise provided with a cutting blade forrooperation with the cutting blade of the tube. The arrangement is such that, inorder to eiiect ,the cutting operation, an actuating lever at ,the handle is operated rso as-,to cause a partialrota tion Veither of the tube or of the rod or tubular member, thereby bringing about relative movement of thecutting blades with vregardto each other.

Preferably, the end or" the'rod or tubular meinber` is:forl shaped to receiveand guide azwire;V so that the Vrotative movement of the rod or tubular member without rotation thereof relative to the tube will cause the wire in said fork-shapedend to bend.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the cutting tool comprises a tube with-a notch adjacent the free end thereof. In this tube is reciprocably mounted a cutting element having its freeend recessed and arranged so thatwhen reciprocating the cutting element in saidy tube-the recessed portion will in cooperation with the notched part of the tube cut a wire placed in said notch insuch a manner'that oneend of the wire will be cut straight while `the other end of the wire will b e bent simultaneously with the Cutting operation. .The cutting element is preferably recirrocated from .a .handle which 11.101.015. theltube.

Structural arrangement Referring now to the drawings in detail, the structure shown therein represents a cutting tool for cutting wire. This tool, which is generally designated Il), comprises a handle II in which is mounted a bushing I2. The bushing I2 is held stationary in the handle II by means of a set screw I3 which preferably enters a corresponding recess I4 in the bushing I2. Likewise arranged in the handle I I in alignment with the bushing I2 is a disc I5 having welded thereto a ring I6. Mounted within the bushing I2 and the disc I5 and ring I6 is a tubular member II. The tubular member I'I is rotatably mounted and has connected thereto by means of the set screw I8 the ring I6 and disc I5 so that rotation of the ring I6 will cause rotation of the tubular member I'I. In order to facilitate rotation of the ring I6, the latter has connected thereto an operating lever I9 which forms a part of the disc I5. The outer end of the tubular member has connected thereto a tongue 29 which forms one cutting element and preferably is shaped so that it slightly tapers towards the outer end. This slight taper, which is indicated by the reference numerals a and 20h, will facilitate the cutting operation inasmuch as it will provide a slicing effect.

Stationarily mounted in the handle I I by means of a set screw 2I is a rod 22 which extends through the tubular member I'I and is provided at its outer end with two prongs 23 and 24 of which one prong in this instance forms the second cutting element cooperating with the cutting element 20 of the tubular member I'I.

The bushing I2 is provided with a bore 25 in which is mounted a spring 26. One end 26a of the spring 26 engages a recess 21 in the bushing, while the other end 26D of the spring 26 extends into a corresponding recess 28 provided in the disc I5 and ring I6. The spring 26 before being inserted into the bore 25, is given a twist so that it continuously urges the lever I9 into upward position in which the cutting element 20 substantially registers with the prong 23 so that the tool occupies its non-cutting position. position a wire can be passed through or can be gripped by the prongs 23 and 24 and if desired, can be bent by a slight turn of the handle I I. If it is desired to cut the wire between the prongs 23 and 24, it is merely necessary to press the lever I9 downwardly so that the tongue 20 of the tubular member I'I will move in clockwise direction with regard to Figure 6 While the cutting element 24 remains stationary, thus cutting the wire as will be clear from Figure 6.

As will be obvious from the foregoing description, the tool illustrated in the drawing can be provided with a tubular member I'I and rod 22 of any desired length without in any way increasing the size of the cutting elements 26 and 24 and without increasing the size of the handle II and lever I9. Thus, the tool according to the present invention makes it possible to bend and to cut wires which are closely surrounded by other elements as may for instance be the ease in radio and television sets and similar devices where it would be impossible to use other cutting tools such as pliers. On the other hand, the tool according to the invention can easily be operated with one hand which grips the handle II while the thumb of the same hand actuates the lever I9.

It is of course understood that in order to be able to actuate the lever I9, the handle II is provided with a recess 29 to allow freedom of movement to the handle I9. As will also be clear In this from the drawing, the tool is extremely simple in construction and can easily be assembled and disassembled if for some reason an element is to be replaced or a sharpening of the cutting elements is desired.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 8 through 11, the cutting and bending is accomplished by a single rotative movement of the tubular member 39. The member 3i) is rotated with respect to the rod 3I by the handle I9 of Figure 1 and since the entire construction of the gripping member i I and handle I9 is exactly the same as that of Figure l, it has been omitted from Figure 8. As shown in Figure 9 the member 30 has formed on the end thereof the prongs 32 and 33. The sharpened edge 34 of prong 32 is used to shear the wire, shown at 35. The flat portion 36 on prong 33, is for the purpose of bending the wire at the same time that the shearing edge 34 is cutting. This operation will be apparent by reference to Figure 9 which shows wire 35 lying through the slot 31 of the stationary member 3I. Upon rotation of handle I9, shearing edge 34 will cut through the wire 35 as said wire is supported by slot 31. The flat portion 36 will bend the Wire at the same time, as illustrated in Figure l0. Figure 11 shows complete rotation of the member 3] and the shearing and bending operation completed.

Figures 12 through 15 illustrate another construction of the invention, and, in referring to Figure 12 in particular, it will be seen to comprise a pistol grip portion 40 in which is stationarily mounted a sleeve 4I held against movement by the set screw 42. Slidably mounted within the sleeve 4I is a shearing plunger 43 the end of which is slidably supported in bore 44 of the handle or grip 4D. A slot 45 formed on the plunger 43 receives the slotted ball head 46 of lever or trigger 41 mounted for rotation on pin 48. The lever 41 is mounted within the slotted portion 49 on handle 40 and is urged to the position shown by spring 56. At the other extreme end of the plunger 43 there is formed the bending portion 5I and the shearing edge 52. A semi-circular slot 53 is formed near the end of the sleeve 4I and it is this slot which is hooked over the wire to be cut and bent, as shown by the dotted position of the wire 35 in Figures 12 and 13. It will be apparent that, as the lever or trigger 4'1 is squeezed to the left as seen in Figure 12, the ball head 46 will move the plunger 43 to the right against the action of spring 50. This action moves wire 35 from the position shown in Figure 14 to the position of Figure 15, thereby binding the wire against the edge 54 of slot 53. Continued movement of plunger 43 shears or cuts the wire with the edge 52 and also bends the wire with the portion 5I as shown in Figure 15.

It will be apparent from the above description that a novel and easily handled tool has been provided for cutting wire and producing an identifying bend in the cut end thereof.

It is further understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particular structures and arrangements shown in the accompanying drawings, but also includes any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A cutting tool comprising in combination, a handle, a relatively long and narrow tubular member rotatably secured to said handle, lever means connected to one end of said tubular asomo-soi memberf and operablel manually for' selectively effecting rotation of sa-idtubular member, a2 rst cutting element-associated with the otherA end of i said tubular member, rod means extending through said tubular member and having one end` rigidly connected'to said handle, a=secondcutting element connectedlto the other end' o'f'saidrod means, and yielding meansy mounted in said handlev and continuously urging said lever means:

into a predeterminedpositi-on corresponding to the non-cutting position of said-tool.

2. A cutting tool comprising in combination, a handle; a-rod stationar-ily secured to said handle and provided with two prongs at its outer end, at least one of said prongs constituting a first cutting element; a relatively long and narrow tubular member surrounding saidzrodand ooncenf trically arranged relati-vathereto, said tubular memberl being provided with a second cutting element'arranged for cooperation with said rst cutting element and adapted when moved relative thereto to effect a cutting operation with said rst cutting element, and manually operable means connected to said tubular member and operable lselectively from said handle for eifecting movement of said tubular member to thereby bring about a cutting ope-ration, said prongs being adapted to receive a wire therebetween and being rotatable by said handle for bending said wire.

3. A cutting tool comprising in combination, a tubular member having a cut-out portion adjacent one end thereof lor receiving a wire to be cut, a cutting member reciprocably mounted in said tubular member and provided with recessed portions forming a cutting edge and an extension with a rounded outer end extending beyond said cutting edge, and means for effecting a reciprocative movement between said tubular member and said cutting member.

4. A cutting tool comprising in combination, a handle, a tubular member connected to said handle, said tubular member being provided with a cut-out portion adjacent the free end thereof for receiving a portion of a wire, a cutting element reciprocable in said tubular member and provided i with cutting and bending means spaced from each other and arranged adjacent the outer end thereof, said cutting and bending means being arranged for cooperation with said cut-out portion of said tubular member, and manually operable means operatively connected with said reciprocable element for bringing said cutting and bending means into cooperation with said cut-out portion.

5. A cutting tool comprising in combination, a handle, a tubular member connected to said handle, said tubular member being provided with a cut-out portion adjacent the free end thereof for receiving a portion of a wire, a reciprocable cutting element movable in said tubular member and provided with cutting and bending means spaced from each other and arranged adjacent the outer end thereof, said cutting and bending means being arranged for cooperation with said cut-out portion of said tubular member, yielding means continuously urging said cutting and bending means away from said cut-out portion, and manually operable means associated with said handle for selectively bringing said cutting and bending means into cooperation with said cut-out portion.

6. A cutting tool comprising in combination, a tubular member having a cut-out portion adjacent one end thereof, a reciprocable cutting element having a finger with a rounded outer end and a curved recess'at` one-side of'said finger andl a-shorter groove-like recesswith a cutting'A edge on the other side of said finger, means for.- reciprocating said cutting element relativefto saidtubuiar member for moving said cutting edge-V past said cut-out portion, and means for preventing rotative movement of said cuttingelement tov said tubular member during the reciprocation offA said cutting element.

'7. A cutting tool comprising in combination,

af long and narrow tubular member, av cutting-1- member movable relative to said tubularfmember` and having an extension passing through said' tubular member, cutting and bending meanszar-v ranged adjacent the end of said tubular mem--y berl and said cutting member and adapted infresponse to relative movement between'said tubuf lar member and saidicutting member simultane-r ously te cut a wire straight at one end and bending it at the otherV end, and manually operable means'connected to lsaid extensionand operable selectively for effecting relative movement between said. cutting member and said tubular member.

8. A cutting tool comprising in combination,l

a tubular member, a cutting member rotatablel relative to said tubular member, cutting and'l bending means associated-with said cutting member and said tubular member and adapted in' cooperation with each other to cut and bend a wire simultaneously upon operation of said cutting member, and manually operable means for effecting rotative movement of said cutting member relative to said tubular member.

9. A cutting and bending tool comprising in combination, a handle, a relatively long and narrow tubular member having a cutting element associated with one end thereof while the other end of said tubular member is rotatably mounted in said handle, manually operable means associated with said handle and operable selectively to eifect a partial rotation of said tubular member, and rod means having one end thereof stationarily mounted within said handle and eX- tending through said tubular member, while the other end of said rod. means is provided with prongs one of which has a cutting edge for cooperation with the said cutting element.

10. A cutting tool comprising in combination, a handle, a wire receiving element stationarily secured to said handle and having two prongs for receiving a wire therebetween, one of said prongs having a cutting edge, a wire shaping element concentrically arranged with regard to said wire receiving element for cooperation therewith, said wire shaping element being rotatably secured to said handle and having a recess for passing a wire therethrough, one of the wall portions defining said recess having a cutting edge for cooperation with said first mentioned cutting edge, while another wall portion defining said recess is sol arranged as to reduce the free passage of the wire to be out between said prongs when t .e cutting edge of said wire shaping element is in its cutting position, thereby causing said wire element in its cutting position simultaneously to cut and bend said wire, and lever means operable manually and selectively and secured to said wire shaping element for movement thereof relative to said wire receiving element.

l1. A cutting tool comprising in combination, a handle, a wire receiving element stationarily secured to said handle and having two prongs for receiving a wire therebetween, one of said prongs having a cutting edge, a' wire shaping element concentrically arranged with regard to said wire receiving element for cooperation therewith, said Wire shaping element being rotatably secured to said handle and having a recess for passing a wire therethrough, one of the wall portions dening said recess having a cutting edge for cooperation with said rst mentioned cutting edge, While another wall portion defining said recess is so arranged as to reduce the free passage of the wire to be cut between said prongs when the cutting edge of said wire shaping element is in its cutting position, thereby causing said wire shaping element in its cutting position simultaneously to cut and bend said wire, lever means operable manually and selectively and secured to said wire shaping element for movement thereof relative to said wire receiving element, and yielding means continuously urging said wire shaping element into non-cutting position.

12. A cutting tool comprisingin combination, a rst element, a second element, one of said elements being provided with a cutting edge and a bending punch, while the other element is provided with a recess to receive and hold a Wire, and means operatively connected with one of said elements and operable manually for selectively effecting relative movement between said elements to cut a wire so as to cut one end straight while simultaneously bending the other end.

THEODORE SUMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 938,044 Graybill July 13, 1909 1,190,075 Ambrose July 4, 1916 1,336,605 Becker Apr. 13, 1920 1,705,819 Kruse Mar. 19, 1929 1,708,730 Kruse Apr. 9, 1929 1,976,686 Wunderlich Oct. 9, 1934 2,030,764 Poole Feb. 11, 1936 

